Gripper mechanism



J. R. BLAINE GRIPPER MECHANISM April 1 1924. 1,488,732

Filed Dec. 8. 1921 JLIHI 15,

4 lg J Z5 15 .lill fl llnllm WW?" 2/ 15 0 10/761355" Joacga/z E BZQUZ Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,488,732 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH R. BLAINE, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. T0 MIEHLE PRINTING PRESS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GRIPYER MECHANISM.

Application filed December 8, 1921. Serial No. 520,876.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn 1t. BLAINE a citizen of the United States, residin at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gripper Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gripper mechanism.

Grippers as used heretofore in printing presses, while in some cases being detachable, have not been capable of fine adjustment, nor has it been possible to maintain the grippers accurately in adjusted position. If good results are to be had, grippers must be accurately and nicely adjusted and positively maintained in adjusted position, especially when such grippers are arranged in a relatively long row for gripping a single sheet of paper or other material.

Accordingly, one object of my invention is to facilitate the adjusting of grippers and maintain the same in adjusted position.

Another object is to provide easily detachable and adjustable grippers adapted to meet all of the requirements under service conditions.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the gripper mechanism shown on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, the rocker shaft being in section, of my improved gripper mechanism;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the means for adjusting the grippers and maintaining the same in adjusted position.

The most common practice is to have grippers mounted upon a circular shaft by clamp means and set screws which do not under all conditions hold the grippers firmly in adjusted position. As a result thereof the shaft soon becomes grooved and otherwise marked. making it practically impossible to maintain the grippers in adjusted position, even for a short time. In my gripper mechanism not only are the grippers readily detachable, but it is practically im* possible for the grippers to shift acoidentusted position.

Referring to the figures of the drawings,

it will be noted that I have shown gripper mechanism used in connection with a cylinder 10, said gripper mechanism including a shaft 11 capable of the usual rocking motion for opening and closing the grippers proper. This shaft 11 along its length is provided with two grooves, each of which has faces 12 and 13 arranged at right angles with respect to each other for the reception of oppositely arranged projections 14 formed ona yoke 15 which embraces the shaft 11. These projections 14 each have faces 16 and 17 which are arranged at right angles with respect to each other and respectively engage the faces 12 and 13 of the grooves in the shaft 11, so that not only is the yoke member non-rotatably secured to the shaft 11, but its engaging faces are in such intimate engagement with respect to each other that said yoke is positively fixed or anchored to said shaftagainst any adjustment about the axis of said shaft. It will be noted that'no parts of the yoke member 15 engage the supporting shaft except the projections 14. I

The gripper 18 in each case is rockably adjustably mounted on the shaft 11 and for this purpose is provided with a curved inner surface 19 which engages the periphery .of the shaft and has its curved surface on an arc struck from the center of the shaft. The gripper is provided with two openings 20 which loosely receive bolts 21, the threaded portions of which cooperate with tapped openings or pockets 22 formed in the yoke member 15 for adjusting the gripper 18 on the shaft 11 and clamping said gripper in adjusted position. The upper surface of the gripper is provided with two concave portions 9.3 which adjustably re ceive cooperatingv convex surfaces of washers L4. The flanges 25 of these bolts 21 engage the upper flat surfaces of the washers 24 when said bolts 21 are screwed down into a clamping position. hen said bolts 21 are screwed into a clamping position it is practically impossible for the gripper 18 to be given a rockable movement with respect to its supporting shaft 11.

However, if it is desired to adjust the gripper to change the pressiue with which it is to engage a sheet of material the same may be accomplished by loosening one of the bolts and tightening the other a corresponding amount. During the rockably adjustable movement of the gripper 18 on the shaft 11 the washers 24 by virtue of their curved convex faces cooperating with the concave pockets 23 adjust or accommodate themselves accordingly so that there is no unnatural binding action which later may give way to pressure, but, on the other hand, when the gripper is once clamped in position it is positively held in that position until the adjusting bolts 21 are again actuated 01 giving a further adjustment to the gripper.

The gripper 18 is oil spring material so that it may exert suflicient pressure upon the sheets to properly retain same, under normal conditions and at the same time will yield in case several sheets or crumpled sheets are inadvertently gripped, which lat ter condition in no wise affects adjustment of said gripper. V

It is my intention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope oi the following claims.

I-claim:

1. In gripper n echanism, the c-onibiua tion of a support, a member nonrotatably secured thereto, and a gripper rockably' adjustably mounted on said support and se cured to said member.

2. In gripper mechanism, the combination of asupport, a plurality of cooperating members, one of which is non-rotatably secured to said support and the other of which is rockably adjustably mounted thereon, one of said members being a gripper.

3. In gripper mechanism, the combination of a support, a member mounted thereon, said support and said member having interlocking portions for anchoring said member to said support, and a gripper rockably ad-,

justably mounted on said support and secured to saidmember. r

' tion of position.

6; In gripper mechanism, the combination of a support, a member anchored thereto, a gripper roclzahlv adjustablv mounted 011 said support, and means for securingsaid gripper to said member, said gripper having concaved receiving portions, said securing means including washers mounted'in said conce ved receiving portions whereby said securing means may be accommodated in accordance with adjustable movement of said gripper.

'7. In gripper mechanism, the combination of a support, a member anchored thereto, a gripper having openings and concaved pockets, bolt-s passing through the openings in said. grippers and threaded into said member for securing the gripperon said support, and washers associated with said bolts and having convex faces engaging concave surfaces of said pockets whereby the clamping action otthe bolts will not be impaired regardless of the position into which said gripper adjusted and secured.

S. In gripper mechanism, the combination of a shaft, a member anchored to said shaft, and a gripper rockably adjustable about the longitudinal axis of said shaft and secured to said member.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois this 6th day of December, 1921.

JO SEPH B. BLAINE. 

